The Western Washington University Department of Art will host artist Yuken Teruya for a lecture on Thursday, May 2 at 4 p.m. in Room 120 of the Science, Math and Technology Education building on Western’s campus.

The lecture, titled “Art Watering the Seeds of Social Change,” is free and open to the public.

Born in Okinawa, Japan, New York-based Yuken Teruya provides a refreshing modern take on traditional craft techniques. His work employs every day objects such as toilet paper rolls and shopping bags, usually considered symbols of consumerism or ecological imbalance, to create worlds of unexpected beauty. Rather than criticize consumer society, Teruya’s work invites viewers to read the works through their own frames of reference.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Tama Art University in Tokyo, Teruya moved to the United States and continued his education at the School of Visual Arts in New York where he attained his master’s degree in the same subject. Teruya’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions around the world, including shows at the Josee Bienvenu Gallery, New York; Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica; Murata & Friends Gallery, Berlin; Basel, Switzerland; and The Ueno Royal Art Museum, Tokyo.

Teruya’s lecture is part of the 2012-2013 WWU Department of Art Speaker Series “Studies in Intermedia.” In addition to Teruya, the series has featured five other artists in the areas of fiber arts, painting, installation art, ceramics, and art history since fall quarter.

For more information please contact Western's Department of Art at (360) 650-3660.